Racing Scalextric cars is growing in popularity as each new generation discovers the fun and excitement of slot car racing. Scalextric and slot car hobbyists soon start to look for ways to get the most speed from their systems. Here are just a few simple tweaks that will help make your cars fly around the track.
The same principles apply to slot cars as well as F1 racing cars and rally cars. To get more speed you can install a more powerful engine, optimise the tires and lower the weight. Optimising Scalextric cars can be very educational.
Let’s first think about the Scalextric cars engine. Your Scalextric cars use tiny electric motors, not super enhanced petrol engines, and these are easy to change. You can readily find high performance Scalextric car motors that provide higher revs per minute (rpm) than those that are fitted as standard in most cars. Upgrading your cars motor will give you an immediate improvement in speed.
But increased speed can mean that your car will tend to fly off the track when it encounters a bend. Your car is held on the track using a magnet. Upgrading the magnet will help to keep your car on the track.
A further enhancement is to fit a new set of tires. Improving grip will improve traction and increase overall speed.
So your Scalextric car is fully pimped and ready to break the world land speed record. But what about your Scalextric track? There are a few simple tweaks that can make all the difference. I suggest that you try this on just one of your two tracks first so that you can compare with the unmodified track.
Start by cleaning the Scalextric track. Dirt, dust and moisture on the track will inevitably result in low friction and maybe even some wheel spin. Next, clean out the slot. The slots in your Scalextric track will inevitably become clogged with dust and dirt. This will inevitable impede the movement of your car. Keeping your slots free of dust and debris will make major improvements to your system.
The final aspect of your system that would benefit from some attention is all the electrical connections. Clean all the electrical connectors, the slotted track and the contacts on your car.
By now your car should be literally flying around your Scalextric track. Now you’re ready to find a worthy opponent for a race.
Slot cars run on track using a slot to guide them and keep them on the model roadway. The name most commonly associated with slot car racing is, of course, Scalextric.
Slot car racing is an engrossing, fun, safe and cheap hobby enjoyed by many thoursands of people. I’m sure that many people can remember the fun and thrills they had as children with their Scalextric sets. The basic Scalextric system hasn’t really changed since it was first introduced in the 1950s. Old Scalextric cars from that early era are eagerly sought by slot car enthusiasts and good quality models can change hands for significant sums of money.It’s even possible to run those old Scalextric slot cars on modern track without having to modify the cars at all.
Todays Scalextric systems have gone digital, like everything else. The original Scalextric systems would allow two cars to run alongside one another along dedicated tracks but the new digital system allows more than one car to share the same track and enables cars to change lanes. These innovative new features have propelled slot car racing into a whole new level of popularity.
Although it was originally a British invention Scalextric now has a huge and enthusiastic following in the United States. Many of the popular US races are represented in Scalextric including the the Indycar and NASCAR races. One key factor that has helped to develop the popularity of Scalextric is that they actually encourage other manufacturers to produce slot cars and accessories for their systems. These days there are a variety of reputabel slot car manufacturers who produce some great cars suitable for Scalextric.
The ease of expansion is one of the key attributes that has made the Scalextric system enduringly popular. A good starter system from Scalextric will set you back only about £40 ($70). The simple starter system comes with two slot cars and everything you need to enjoy the thrill of slot car racing.
You will find there are many clubs for slot car enthusiasts where they meet to exchange skills and race one another, often with their own car designs. There are slot car race meetings throughout the country, and around the world, throughout the year. Enthusiasts often get into building, modifying and optimizing their cars for best performance and lots of tips are exchanged between club members.
If you are interested in getting into slot car racing I’d recommend starting with a low priced Scalextric Start Race Set and if you enjoy it then find a local slot car club to join. You will meet some very friendly and helpful fellow enthusiasts who will provide you with lots of advice and guidance and they’re likely to challenge you to a race or two.
admin | October 16, 2009
